Calling all kids and kids at heart. From Wednesday, August 10 to Sunday, August 14, Sydney’s Darling Harbour will be transformed into a free-to-enter LEGO playground, complete with appearances by celebrity ambassadors like Benji Marshall and 20 life-sized LEGO Minifigures.
Each Minifigure will feature a distinct play moment — including moonwalking, breakdancing and air guitar playing — that families can stop and enjoy. A surprise new Minifigure, built by the only LEGO Certified Professional in the Southern Hemisphere, Ryan ‘The Brickman’ McNaught, will also be unveiled sometime throughout the activation’s four-day run.
So, why all the fun? Well, World Play Day falls on Wednesday, August 10, and LEGO hopes its precinct takeover will serve as a reminder to families of the importance of play.
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Its latest LEGO Play Well Study (2022) found that 41% of parents said that their families don’t play enough together, and 8 in 10 kids said they wished they could play more with their parents. The research, which surveyed 57,000 respondents, also found that 6 in 10 parents (61%) admitted to spending too much time online in front of their child, and another 6 in 10 parents (63%) believed their kids also spend too much time online.
“Amidst a global pandemic, we’ve learnt that play matters more than ever before, which is why we want to bring back more play throughout the day than ever before,” says Vice President and General Manager of LEGO Australia and New Zealand, Troy Taylor.
“We’re encouraging all fans and families to find some time to play, whether that is discovering our magical array of Minifigures playing at Darling Harbour, or spending time getting back to the basics of play at home through fun activities with the family.”
LEGO Play Ambassador Benji Marshall says that play has always been a part of his life – whether it was playing with his favourite LEGO set as a kid or playing rugby on the field.
“Now that I’m a dad, I can see just how important it is to take the time to play, every day,” Marshall says. “Returning to the West Tigers as an Assistant Coach is also allowing me to play a pivotal part in supporting the next generation of athletes that are playing to win. It shows the power of play — to inspire and motivate — not just in the NRL, but every day.”
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